Selenium and vanadium are reported to mimic the blood sugar regulatory functions of insulin in laboratory studies. Insulin regulates cellular and metabolic processes as well as gene expression. The insulin-like actions of selenium and vanadium include participation in glycolysis, in the pentose phosphate pathway and in fatty acid synthesis. Selenium is also reported to play a role in reducing the oxidative stress associated with diabetes.¹

The mechanism by which selenium mimics insulin action is not clear. Reports indicate that selenium activates key proteins involved in the insulin-signal cascade. Various proteins in the insulin-signal cascade have been shown to be necessary for different insulin-regulated events.²

Berg et al.³ reported that administration of vanadate or selenate to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats not only normalized blood glucose levels in a manner similar to insulin but also positively affected the expression of two key metabolic enzymes, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). Both G6PDH and FAS activity are reported to significantly decrease in diabetic animals compared to non-diabetic controls. Treatment of the diabetic animals with either insulin, vanadate or selenate restored the activities of both enzymes to about 80-90% of their normal values. (The main biological function of G6PDH is to support reductive biosynthesis as well as to maintain an environment in the tissue, thereby preventing free radical induced damage leading to cataract formation⁴ and other secondary complications of diabetes.)

Sources:

1. Mukherjee, B. et al. (1998) Biomed. Pharmacother. 52, 89-95.
2. Stapleton, S.R. (2000) Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 57, 1874-1879.
3. Berg, E.A. et al. (1995) Biochimie 77, 919-924.
4. Zhao, W. et al. (1998) Free Radic. Res. 29, 315-320.

Selenium SeLECT^®, a registered trademark of Sabinsa Corporation, is supplied as two grades of L-(+)-Selenomethionine (LSM), an organic, bioavailable and molecularly integrated (not a dry blend of selenium and methionine) form of selenium. Selenium SeLECT^® Pure contains a minimum of 400,000 mcg of elemental selenium (40%) per gram, and Selenium SeLECT^® 5000 (DCP blend), a trituration of LSM and dicalcium phosphate, contains a minimum of 5,000 mcg of elemental selenium (0.5%) per gram. Sabinsa’s LSM conforms to USP monograph standards.

Please contact Sabinsa for information about products from our cosmecutical, nutritional, and functional food lines.

Sabinsa’s upcoming shows:
Sabinsa Corporation will participate in the following trade show event in July 2001:
July 9-11, 2001:
Nutracon 2001 (San Diego, CA)
Booth #39